Previewing the Chicago Bulls' 5 Biggest Training Camp Battles

With NBA training camps opening soon, a couple of battles are sure to develop amongst the Chicago Bulls.

Both the center and forward spots are basically set. In the middle, Joakim Noah will start over Nazr Mohammed, Omer Asik's replacement. Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng will start at forward, with the likes of Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and Vladimir Radmanovic coming off the bench.

However, the guard rotation seems to be wide open, especially with superstar Derrick Rose recovering from an ACL injury.

4. Rip Hamilton vs. Marco Belinelli

Rip Hamilton—who the Bulls signed last offseason—is expected to start at shooting guard for the team once again this season.

There's no guarantee, though, that he'll start as newcomer Marco Belinelli could end up grabbing the job.

A three-time NBA All-Star, Hamilton is more experienced and certainly the better defender of the two. However, Belinelli is lights-out from downtown and should do a nice job replacing Kyle Korver as a the Bulls' three-point specialist.

At the end of the day, though, look for Hamilton to win the battle and keep his spot in the starting five.

3. Taj Gibson vs. Jimmy Butler

Fourth-year power forward Taj Gibson and second-year small forward Jimmy Butler will duke it out for the Bulls' sixth man role.

Gibson has been one of the team's most important players ever since he arrived in Chicago via the 2009 draft.

Meanwhile, Butler hasn't proven much, as he rarely played as a rookie last season. The Marquette University product is sure to see his minutes increase this upcoming season with the departures of several key players.

It remains to be seen whether Butler can beat out Gibson for the Bulls' top bench player role.